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Imperial Palace
Chinese characters on right, Manchu characters on the left This morning I visited the Imperial Palace of the Qing dynasty in Shenyang. The Qing Dynasty was the second time when the whole of China was ruled by foreigners, the Manchu. The first time was during the Yuan Dynasty when China was controlled by the Mongols. The Qing Dynasty lasted from 1644-1911 A.D.
The Palace is much smaller than the one in Beijing, about 1/12 the size, and was used before defeating the Ming dynasty. There didn't used to be any trees within the palace because of fear of fire. Large vats are everywhere as source water to fight fire when one did arise. Other than the classic architecture and rich history, one of the most interesting item inside the palace is a smokestack that has 11 levels, exactly 267 bricks, with 3 on top. The number 11 corresponds exactly to the number of emperors in the Qing dynasty; the number 267 the number of years Qing dynasty was in power; the number 3 the number of years the last emperor Pu Yi was in power. Coincidence? You decide! A divine pole sits in the courtyard. Meat was placed high up on the pole to feed ravens, a revered
Imperial Palace
Throne for the emperor bird in the Qing dynasty.
Next visited was the old residence of General Zhang Xueyao, who might have single-handedly changed the history of China. The history is rather complex, and to make a long story short he ruled the NE part of China after the collapse of the Qing dynasty when China was fragmented with warlords controlling different parts of the country. He was instrumental in getting KMT and the Communist to fight the Japanese invasion when the communist was nearly eliminated by the KMT by kidnapping Chiang, the leader of the KMT. Had that not happened, China may be an entirely different country today.
Afterwards it was a long bus ride to Changchun.
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